Red Sox-Rays postponed, to be made up Monday

BOSTON -- With persistent rain in the forecast throughout Thursday night, Major League Baseball and the umpires assigned to the Rays-Red Sox game made an early decision to call it off. The game will be made up Monday at 6:10 p.m. at Fenway Park, a da

BOSTON -- With persistent rain in the forecast throughout Thursday night, Major League Baseball and the umpires assigned to the Rays-Red Sox game made an early decision to call it off. The game will be made up Monday at 6:10 p.m. at Fenway Park, a day that both Tampa Bay and Boston had off.

The Rays will make the short trip up from New York for the game Monday and then fly back to Tampa, while the Red Sox already were scheduled to return home from Baltimore on Sunday night in advance of a series with the Seattle Mariners starting Tuesday.

"We didn't want to get into a start-and-then-stop situation, and if we didn't get past an official game, does that cause us to lose John Lackey over the next four or five days?" Boston manager John Farrell said. "In addition to Monday being the best of all available alternatives for both sides, it seemed to make the most sense."

Lackey will pitch Friday in Baltimore for the Red Sox, followed by Ryan Dempster and Jon Lester. Felix Doubront will pitch the Monday make-up game against Tampa Bay, and Brandon Workman will pitch Tuesday against Seattle. Workman will be available out of the bullpen if needed on Friday and Saturday.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon told reporters he hadn't yet decided if he'll pitch Roberto Hernandez as scheduled or skip Hernandez and give the ball back to David Price, who stifled the Red Sox on Wednesday night. Price could pitch Monday on regular rest.